Boys hoops notebook: Day 1
Posted at 12:15 AM

I've seen some great girls and boys basketball in the past two days, but I am not satisfied.

Could be I'm just a greedy little pig who wants to see EVERYTHING in Division I and II, boys and girls, now that we're in the FINAL week of hoops for the rest of this year. Have pity on me, folks. I'm used to watching basketball from December to May. But as of Feb. 23, 2008, there will be a moratorium on prep basketball. (Jeez, even the Mufi Hanneman Jamboree has moved up and will be done on Saturday.)

No basketball in March. No basketball in April. No basketball in May.

SUCKS.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I should look on the bright side. At least I haven't flown on Go Airlines lately. After all, though I'd love to visit Brazil or Argentina some day, a surprise detour thanks to some not-so-right-in-the-brain pilots wouldn't be a welcome surprise. Not if I just wanted to land in, say, Kahului or Kona.

>> Kahuku had Kamehameha on the ropes last night. Jray Galeai was in the zone and the Red Raider fastbreak had the Warriors in red alert like I haven't seen this season. Normally, it's a halfcourt tempo in the ILH. Kahuku hit the pedal to the metal. But Galeai injured an ankle on a drive to the basket early in the second half, and Kamehameha eventually rallied for a 62-57 win. That gave the big Warriors crowd plenty to cheer about. Bad breaks happen, and the Warriors can count their blessings.

>> Lahainaluna likes to run and gun, too. Problem is, the Lunas collapsed under the weight of Punahou's high-pressure defense (26 turnovers) and never got going. It was sloppy and disappointing, but what didn't help much was having a flu bug. Yep, a lot of us have had the flu recently, and it finally made its way to West Maui just in time for the state tourney. A healthy Lahaina team would've given Punahou a better game, but frankly, the Buffanblu were prepared, sharp and deep. Dan Hale played everybody on the roster, which means fresher legs for the rest of the tourney.

>> Surprises? In boys D-II, none. I knew Kauai would be tough, but it's difficult to be at a sound, cohesive team like McKinley with just two scorers. Basil Walton, though, does have one of the best names in the tournament. If he could meet a girl named Ginger, they could name their children Anise, Cinnamon, Coriander, Ginseng and Licorice to form an All-Spice basketball team.

Boys D-I was a bit odd. Campbell sat two key starters in the first half, but even when Patrick Ward and Eddie Gaines returned, it didn't help in a 22-point loss to Moanalua. Stevie Austin scored 25 points. Too quick, too clever.

Kamehameha-Hawaii showed what a difference two months can make. With Russell Cackley and Kealoha Kramer healthy, they have a formidable rotation that could wind up in the finals. Winning the title is clearly within reach, though they didn't get a first-round bye this time. Can the Warriors beat Iolani? Yes. KS-Hawaii has fundamentally sound ballhandlers, which means Iolani's trapping defense may not be as effective. Iolani is also coming off two weeks without a game.

Then again, Iolani knows how to deal with long breaks.

The drama only gets better from here. So much to see, so little time.

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